Stalkers Freya
by BringOnTheWonder1997
Summary: A story based on my full length fic Stalkers the beginning is quite similar. Arthur follows Merlin and this time the Knights come too. No longer a one-shot xx Now continued!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N I've decided to do a (series of) (probable) one-shots based on my story Stalkers. The first beginning of the chapter and the summary will probably be really similar.**

_Summary: Merlin always followed Arthur. And one time Arthur followed him. This time the Knights are coming too._

_Set between series 3 and 4_

_I struggled to find a song, so in the end I used the one from alleywayqueen's fic Calon Lân._

_Disclaimer: (Captain Ozone again) IDOM_

Merlin always followed Arthur. And one time Arthur followed him.

Arthur had lost count of the amount of times he'd explicitly ordered Merlin to leave or stay behind; and the idiot had followed him anyway. It never seemed to stop. Even in times when everyone knew he was heading into potential mortal peril he followed. It was like having an extremely annoying, talking golden retriever.

It was time for him to repay the 'favour'.

Merlin was hopeless at stealth, most of the time (mainly when they were hunting). However, whenever he followed Arthur; Arthur never detected him until it was too late. This was, Arthur decided, proof that Merlin was purposely making the noise to scare off the fluffy bunnies or whatever furry creature he'd recently taken a fancy to.

He stopped for a moment, much better at noticing someone was following than Merlin seemed to be. At least one thing hadn't changed. Following_ him_ following Merlin were the Knights. Not all of them. Even Merlin would have detected that. Just the ones that had helped when _she_ had taken over. They had recently taken to calling themselves the Knights of the Roundtable – a joke made by Gwaine when he'd been drunk. Merlin had overheard and liked the name. And thus, they were the Knights of the Roundtable.

Arthur thought this name was rather silly. Who wanted to be remembered for their table? But he did quite like the symbolism and whatever he'd talked about on that day. Sadly he couldn't remember much – it was all overshadowed by foster-sister-turned-biological-sister-gone-evil. He'd spent most of that day worrying about his father and trying not to be sick at the fact that he'd ever found her pretty. She was his sister after all. It was even more disturbing that his father had been trying to push them together.

"What are you doing here?"

Gwaine smiled cheekily. "Same as you, Princess." That smile was infuriating. "Following Merlin."

"I was not following Merlin."

All of the Knights nodded sagely, disbelieving looks plastered on their faces. Their distrust in the future King was almost insulting.

"Just following something that looks very much like Merlin."

Lancelot broke in, for some reason a worried look plastered onto his face. "And why, Sire, were you following him?"

"I wasn-,"

"It's not a crime to admit you care."

Arthur was speechless. He couldn't believe Gwaine was saying this. He did _not_ care about Merlin. Much. If only Gwen was here. She'd get her brother and Lancelot to shut up in about five seconds. Was there any chance she had followed them?

Probably not.

Gwen was far too kind-hearted to follow someone like that. At least without Arthur or another of the Knights there to encourage her.

This meant he was on his own. Well, maybe Leon would help – he was the only one of the five that had been trained to obey his orders from childhood. And the death glare he was sending the Knights was a non-verbal-shut-up-or-I-will-kill-you-slowly-and-painfully-glare.

Gwaine and Percival were the only two unaffected. Gwaine because he was, well, _Gwaine_ and Percival because Percival never seemed fazed by anything. What he wouldn't give to see something shock the man – and for him to actually display signs of that shock.

He was not willing to argue now – Merlin was getting away, and he'd waited too long for an opportunity like this. But he'd lost the trail.

Now Gwaine looked scared – at his you're-about-to-receive-a-slow-and-painful-death glare. Percival still didn't seem bothered. How ... irritating.

Leon broke in suddenly. "What was that?"

All of the Knights froze.

"What was what?"

"There was a ... noise. Some sound."

Gwaine smiled cockily. "Probably pheasant."

Everyone looked at him a though he was insane – he probably was.

"Merlin would've gotten it."

_Merlin_.

Who was currently alone in a forest making ominous noises.

This was not good.

It appeared the same thought had struck Gwaine, who now looked slightly more panicked than he did a few moments ago.

"Where's Merlin?"

All of the rest of the Knights caught on. All of them looked worried. Lancelot, who Arthur thought would look more worried and upset than Gwaine – Merlin and he had known each other longer, and were very close – seemed almost relaxed. How odd. And slightly off-putting. What did Lancelot know about Merlin? He had to have known something, or else he'd be as worried as the rest of them. He interrogate later. Now he needed to find Merlin.

"The sound came again." Leon seemed on edge, coiled and ready to strike, to throw himself on the defence.

They walked deeper into the forest, calling Merlin in a whisper, not wanting to attract whatever it was towards them.

Gwaine suddenly burst out laughing. "It's not a noise, its singing. Someone singing. And considering where we are, and who we're following, I'll give you three guesses as to who it is."

Merlin.

Merlin _singing_.

A very odd thought.

And from what Arthur could hear, he was good at it.

And it was _Merlin_.

"_Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus,_

_Aur y byd na'i berlau mân,_

_Gofyn wyf am galon hapus,_

_Calon onest, calon lân."_

Merlin's voice was almost hypnotic as the Knights crept towards that sound. Leon and Elyan looked gobsmacked at the thought of Merlin having any musical talent. Percival looked unfazed. Like usual. Gwaine and Lancelot just looked entranced at the sound.

"_Calon lân yn llawn daioni,_

_Tecach yw na'r lili dlos,_

_Dim ond calon lân all ganu,_

_Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos."_

Merlin was still singing. Arthur hadn't even realised Merlin had known another language – he seemed to have more than enough problems managing his own language most of the time.

He continued:

"_Pe dymunwn olud bydol,_

_Hedyn buan ganddo sydd,_

_Golud calon lân, rinweddol,_

_Yn dwyn bythol elw fydd._

_Calon lân yn llawn daioni,_

_Tecach yw na'r lili dlos,_

_Dim ond calon lân all ganu,_

_Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos."_

Even Arthur lost his thoughts and doubts and deductions at the sound of Merlin's voice, high than should have been possible before shaking himself out of his trance. His fellow Knights seemed similarly enchanted.

Enchanted.

Merlin wasn't ... a sorcerer?

Of course not.

Who was there to enchant – it wasn't like he knew they'd followed him. Was it?

Anyway, it was Merlin – loyal clumsy Merlin. Who was always around when Arthur needed him, whether Arthur knew it or not.

"_Hwyr a bore fy nymuniad,_

_Gwyd i'r nef ar adain cân,_

_Ar i Dduw, er mwyn fy Ngheidwad,_

_Roddi i mi galon lân._

They followed the music all the way to a lakeside, one of indescribable beauty. The sunlightreflected off the mountains and the water, the same shade as Merln's cerulean eyes. Merlin himself was perched on a small rock at the edge of the lake, still singing.

_Calon lân yn llawn daioni,_

_Tecach yw na'r lili dlos,_

_Dim ond calon lân all ganu,_

_Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos."_

The singing stopped, the last note wavering in the air.

The Knights were all crouched behind a bush, watching Merlin. He walked into the water and stopped when it was knee height, waiting.

And waiting.

And _waiting_.

After about ten minutes Arthur was about to get up and ask Merlin what he was doing, something ...odd happened. The water in the centre of the lake started to ripple and bend, like it was being twisted. From within this tossing stretch of water rose a figure.

A woman. A sorceress from the entrance she'd made.

A sorceress with long dark hair and a red tattered dress that looked familiar. A sorceress that was hugging Merlin. And kissing him.

Arthur's jaw dropped. A quick looks at his companions showed similar expressions – even on Percival's face. Percival was showing shock. At something Merlin had done (or was doing). How utterly unfair.

Gwaine let out a low whistle.

"Hello Freya."

Merlin's voice was audible even from the distance they were at.

So Merlin knew the sorceress – he hadn't just come across a random lake and started kissing people that came out of them. That might have happened. You could never tell with Merlin.

"Hello love."

She knew him as well. Apparently quite personally.

"I've not seen you in a while."

"I know," the girl – Freya – said, in a musical voice. "I've missed you."

"And I, you." Merlin pulled the girl into a firm hug, her head resting on his shoulder.

The lake was calm now, eerily peaceful and still; even with the two people standing in its waters.

"How have you been?"

"Alright. Better since I knew you were –kind of – alive."

"I wish I could've told you before."

"I know. It wasn't your fault you died."

Died? This sorceress was dead. And talking to Merlin. Was he hallucinating – Merlin with a girlfriend. A dead girlfriend.

Freya replied, "It wasn't Arthur's fault either."

His fault? The Knights all turned and looked at him.

"I know. But he still killed you."

"He didn't mean to."

"Freya, you died in my arms after I watched Arthur stab you and I couldn't help." There were tears in Merlin's eyes. Gwaine was glaring at Arthur for making Merlin look like that. _Stab_ her? He'd never seen her before in his life, and apparently he'd killed her.

"You couldn't have helped – not without revealing yourself."

Revealing what? Arthur wanted desperately to know what Merlin couldn't reveal. And what the girl was doing if she was dead.

"Let's not have this argument again. I'll have to leave soon."

Freya smiled. "There is one good thing about being dead."

Which is?

"Which is?"

"I'm free. Free from the curse. Free from hiding – I can't exactly be killed again can I?"

"It's selfish of my but I'd rather you were cursed and alive – I could help control the bastet. Like I did the night you died."

Bastet. Cursed woman. Killed by Arthur. The escaped druid girl!

Who apparently hadn't escaped so much as being freed.

Merlin had been there the night she died. He'd loved her and been forced to watch as Arthur stabbed her. And he hadn't displayed any of his emotions to Arthur – or anyone judging from the astounded looks on the faces of the others. No pain from her death or anger from Arthur's actions. Nothing.

Arthur wondered what else Merlin had hidden from him.

He didn't like to think how much.

"But I'm glad you're free."

Merlin's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her tightly.

Freya sighed gently and buried her head into the crook of his neck.

The Knights still looked incredulous.

"I wish I could do something – I'm Emrys, for goodness sakes." Percival stiffened; apparently this statement meant more to him than to anyone else.

"It's alright – I know you've tried. How's Kilgharrah?"

"He's fine. Annoying. Like usual. Why did God have to make dragons talk?"

Merlin knew a dragon?

"Because otherwise; you, Arthur, and the whole of Camelot would be very dead."

"The one virtue of his loud, confusing mouth."

Freya searched for another conversation topic – Arthur agreed, from those words alone he had no doubt that Merlin could start a very long rant on this talking dragon.

"How has your training been?"

Training?

"They try to teach me, and I just spend the entire time teaching them. I have a student at the minute – a proper student. She's been trying so hard."

"Who is she?"

"A seven year old called Annwn. According to Iseldir she has a 'crush' on me."

Freya laughed prettily.

Merlin's voice was indignant. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to teach someone who spends the entire time trying to catch your attention – and she's only seven. Not to mention the rest of the camp."

Camp? Merlin being mobbed by women? Gwaine seemed to find the notion as hilarious as he did.

Merlin continued, "I've had four marriage proposals this week!" Arthur's jaw dropped.

So did those of the other Knights.

Freya laughed.

Merlin just pouted.

"It's a shame you don't have me around."

"Believe me, love, most of them over the age of twenty-five already know about you. They grew up hearing the prophecies." What prophecies? Arthur still couldn't get over Merlin casually calling someone 'love'. Did anyone in Camelot know about his relationship with a dead druid?

"And those under that age either are too young – like little Annwn – or don't believe."

Merlin nodded in agreement.

The Knights were still in shock – apart from Lancelot who looked like he was expecting this kind of thing from Merlin.

"I hate the prophecies."

"I can see why Merlin Emrys the fabled warlock of legend – the immortal one. Bound by time, doomed to watch everyone die around him."

Arthur couldn't breathe.

Merlin had just been accused of being immortal and having powerful magic.

And he wasn't denying either. In fact there was a small rueful smile on his face that said he agreed with every word the woman was saying.

"I won't die until magic does."

"And magic won't die for another few thousand years." Merlin shrugged, his eyes sad.

"At least I'll have you and Kilgharrah."

"It's strange – it doesn't affect you as much as I thought it would."

"It's not happening yet. Anyway I've had years to get used to it and feel the pain and loneliness. I barely even notice it anymore. It's how I can get by with your death, Will's death and my father's death. Morgana's betrayal and what I was forced to do to her. You learn just to grieve, accept it and not dwell on the past."

What was he forced to do to Morgana?

And what the hell was going on?

All of these 'answers' were just making him more confused. Maybe he should leave before his brain spontaneously combusted due to all of this new information about his previously cheeky and completely-known manservant.

No he couldn't leave – it was getting far too interesting for that. It looked like Lancelot knew what was going on. He'd get Leon and Elyan to help him get it out of him later.

Sadly Arthur was staring to put some of the pieces together already, into a picture he didn't particularly like.

Merlin was an immortal, powerful warlock who knew (and regularly complained about) a dragon, and had a dead girlfriend who apparently lived in a lake.

He and Merlin would be having a long chat about keeping secrets.

Given by the looks on most of the other Knights faces, it would be a group discussion.

"How are the camps?" Camps? Guessing by the conversation topic, he guessed druid camps.

"Good. I put Iseldir in charge."

Merlin being responsible for who was in charge in a camp containing magic users. People with potentially dangerous magic.

Oh dear.

Freya looked quizzical. "Wasn't he already in charge before you?"

"I know. It's ridiculous. Magic wouldn't recognise it unless _I_ appointed him second in command. It didn't exactly take long though."

"About five seconds."

"Yeah. But I wish it hadn't been necessary in the first place. Doesn't help with trying to ditch the stalkers."

"I know."

Merlin looked up at the sky.

"It's getting late. I have to go or else Prince Prat will have my head. Or I'll actually have to muck out the stables or something equally horrific. I still need to talk to Lancelot about the whole vanquishing of Morgana's immortal army – he can't mention Excalibur."

What was Excalibur?

Another thing to talk to Merlin about.

"Speaking of Excalibur, couldn't you have just given it back to me, as opposed to hiding it in a random stone in the middle of the forest?"

"Well ... yes. But I didn't know I would be able to see you even after you gave me Excalibur." He glanced up again. "I really need to go."

"Okay."

"I'll try to see you soon." He hugged her and kissed her deeply before watching as she walked back into the lake. Right before she disappeared beneath the water, he waved. After she disappeared, he stayed in the lake for another minute before wading back out of the water and upon reaching the shore, striding back towards the castle.

The Knights followed silently, hoping he would go to Gaius' first so that they could pretend they had been on the training fields the whole time.

Yes, the conversation he had in mind would be quite interesting...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N I am so sorry for the wait on this xx I swear I have the attention span of a may-fly so I have been distracted by loads of other stories xx I hadn't actually planned on continuing this until this morning (well I had considered it but hadn't actually decided) xx Sorry that this is shorter than the first chapter I need to get back into the swing of it – I should be able to post another chapter far more quickly than it took to update this one xx Please read and review xx**

Arthur's brain was _this_ close to spontaneously combusting.

Merlin was a powerful sorcerer who was apparently immortal and regularly conversed with dragon and his dead girlfriend. Who happened to live in a lake.

And Arthur had killed her.

He hadn't missed that little detail, despite it being drowned out by the majority of the later shocks. Perhaps it wasn't that little a detail – it was the death of his friend's (_servant's_) girlfriend – but it was overshadowed by the later revelations.

The Knights had gathered together on the training field, mostly looking confused and shocked. Even Percival, who never seemed shocked by anything.

But not Lancelot.

And despite what Merlin apparently thought, Arthur was not an idiot. He'd caught Merlin telling his girlfriend that he needed to talk to Lancelot about something called Excalibur and vanquishing Morgana's immortal army, both of which added up to the conclusion that Lancelot had already known about at least some of what had been revealed.

He could start there then – find out some information before he went to Merlin and gave him a well-deserved heart attack.

With that decided, he turned to his fellow Knight, "So, Lancelot, how much did you know?"

Lancelot stiffened slightly, evidently hoping that his lack of surprise had gone unnoticed, before averting his eyes. He did not however try to lie to Arthur, a feat that Arthur respected him for. "Some of it."

"You mean he told you but he didn't tell us?" Gwaine whined and then pouted.

"It wasn't so much telling. I got a firsthand demonstration."

"Why didn't_ I_ get one?"

"Because mine was in a life or death situation."

"And? It's not like we've not had plenty of those recently."

"Perhaps I was a bit more observant."

"How observant do you have to be?" Elyan was honestly curious.

"Enough the notice bright blue flames on the end of your lance," Lancelot replied dryly.

"What?"

"He saved mine, Arthur, Leon and a load of other Knight's lives by lighting the end of lance up with blue flames. And he thought I _wouldn't_ notice."

There was an incredulous pause.

Gwaine cocked his head. "To be fair he's been working for Arthur for over four years and Arthur didn't have a clue about any of this. He must have gotten used to people being unobservant."

Lancelot nodded. "Yes he did seem surprised at the idea that I had noticed. This however was over three years ago."

"Three years?" Arthur added up the dates in his head. "You've known the whole time, haven't you?"

Lancelot averted his eyes again.

Leon asked, "What have you known the whole time?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow at him.

"What? We learnt so much today I don't know which bit of it Lancelot knew about."

"The magic. I knew about the magic."

"And apparently about the immortal army," Arthur added sullenly.

"Again that wasn't really my fault. I just knew about the magic and knew he was going to do something to stop them so I told him I was going with him. It's still _Merlin_ after all."

"What's Excalibur?" Elyan asked.

Percival had remained silent the whole way through the discussion, apparently attempting to conceal his shock at the earlier revelations. Particularly the one concerning Merlin being Emrys. That seemed to mean something to him. Arthur would ask once this line of enquiry had been concluded.

"I think it's the sword."

"A sword?"

"That can kill dead people."

"A sword that can kill dead people," Gwaine repeated. "Why wasn't I invited?"

Leon spoke next, "And how do you know it can kill dead people?"

"For one it destroyed Morgana's immortal army. Second I watched Merlin do it. They exploded into dust."

"Dust." Arthur nodded sagely. "Of course."

There was a long pause.

"Do we know how Merlin came by a sword that can make dead people explode into dust?"

"That I don't know," Lancelot said. "Merlin said something about lakes and Gwen."

"Gwen?" Elyan was puzzled – how had his sister gotten involved in this?

"I don't know. You'd have to ask him yourself."

"Oh, I'm planning on it." Arthur's voice was furious – it seemed that the revelations had finally been processed.

Gwaine gave him a wary look. "He saved all our lives when he killed the immortal army."

"And?"

"And it sounds like it wasn't the first time and definitely not the last."

"_And?_"

"Well, it sounds like you're going to have him executed. Or banished." Banishment seemed to be popular in Camelot. Out of the Knights of the Round Table both he and Lancelot had been banished.

Arthur paused. "I wouldn't. I wouldn't hand him over to my father." Arthur didn't sound sure himself.

"What are you going to do, Sire?"

"Talk to him. Ask him a load of questions. Make him answer them. Maybe swear a bit."

Talking sounded good right now.

So did swearing.

oOo

He didn't talk to Merlin though, not yet. He spent another half an hour talking with the Knights – finding out all of the things he could. Gwaine had suspected magic and so had Percival. Lancelot had known and Arthur, Leon and Elyan hadn't had a clue. Merlin was even more of an idiot than Arthur gave him credit for. Gwaine was actually a noble (that _had_ been a surprise).

And Merlin had saved their lives more times than he could ever imagine.

Arthur wasn't used to owing debts like this. Usually it was the other way round.

It scared him more than just a little.

He still hadn't found out what Percival knew about Emrys. But he'd had so many shocks in the last hour and a half he didn't think he could take any more. That could wait until later – along with talking to Merlin.

Oh God, he still needed to talk to Merlin. Now, hearing Lancelot's stories, he understood that as far as Lancelot was concerned Merlin was the same as always – clumsy and mostly an idiot and sometimes wise. Arthur just needed to see it for himself.

But he didn't think he could handle it.

Not today.

Talking to Merlin could wait until tomorrow.

All he wanted to do right now was sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three! Not half as long a wait xx Please read and review xx**

Sleep hadn't helped. In fact he hadn't actually slept at all, kept up all night with worries and concerns and questions.

He met up with the Knights on the training fields after avoiding Merlin's eyes all morning. Merlin could tell there was something wrong – Arthur knew that from the concerned looks thrown his way and even more banter than usual. Today even that banter couldn't cheer him up – not when he was plagued by thoughts and unease.

The weather seemed to firmly want to ignore the Prince of Camelot's mood, as it was bright and cheerful and sunny – none of which Arthur really felt at the minute (Merlin would say that Arthur was never bright). It was actually starting to get on his nerves. It was a testament as to how wound up he was (he wasn't _nervous,_ he was never nervous. He was apprehensive.)

The Knights decided to call a meeting for the Knights of the Round Table, so that Gwen could be involved (both Arthur and Lancelot hated the thought of leaving her out), Gaius would be there (they all knew how unlikely it was that Gaius hadn't known of Merlin's magic) and, of course, so that Merlin would be there (it would be kind of difficult to hold the meeting without him). This would also make it easier to explain why the other Knights weren't invited – they hadn't helped take back Camelot (well they had but Arthur conveniently forgot that when he needed to hold the meetings.) Uther didn't even complain about the Round Table that had been moved into the castle and into Arthur's own council room (to be fair, Uther wasn't saying much these days).

The Knights decided to spar for half an hour to get rid of their tension.

It didn't work.

Arthur simply got to take out some of his frustration on his increasingly angry and injured Knights. By the end of it all of them were even more worked up than they'd started off.

That wasn't a good idea.

But Arthur couldn't bring himself to care. He wanted _answers_. And he wanted them _now_. (Never mind the fact that he sounded like the five year old Merlin often accused him of being.)

He cut the rest of the training session short.

oOo

While Elyan, Leon and Percival went to fetch Gwen, Gaius and Merlin respectively; Gwaine went to the kitchens to find ale (which Arthur guessed they would need) and Lancelot and Arthur went to Arthur's private council room (he couldn't trust Lancelot not to warn Merlin, and he felt that Merlin deserved at least some of what was coming to him and so did not deserve prior warning.)

And predictably, Merlin was the last of them in. (Leon and Gaius had arrived first – everyone knew where to find Gaius, Elyan found Gwen next, Gwaine stumbled in carrying most of the alcohol within the castle and Percival wandered in announcing that Merlin would be along shortly.)

(Arthur would never admit it but he found the predictability comforting. Some things would never change.)

He looked apprehensively around the room before cautiously taking a seat.

"What's this meeting about then?" Arthur couldn't help but find it ironic that Merlin was the one to ask.

"Many things."

"What sort of things?"

Arthur looked at his servant intensely. "Things related to you."

Merlin gulped nervously and repeated himself. "What sorts of things?"

"Strange things." Merlin went white and shared a small glance with Gaius, one that told Arthur that Gaius had known exactly what Merlin was and what he had done. Maybe he didn't know everything but Gaius knew most of it.

And Gaius was his father's 'closest ally in the fight against magic.'

Was anyone honest when it came to magic anymore?

(Then again being honest in Camelot could get you killed, so he supposed he could understand.)

"Would you happen to have any idea what sort of things I'm talking about?"

"No?" Merlin said, but it came out more as a question.

Gwen threw Arthur a sharp look for the interrogation, despite not knowing what it was for. Gwen probably wouldn't care anyway.

"You see, yesterday we saw some very odd things." The Knights seemed content to let Arthur take charge for now. There was no doubt that Gwaine would intervene before long – particularly if Arthur started to become harsh.

"Yesterday?" Merlin sounded confused, as if trying to remember what had happened with difficulty.

"Yesterday. There was a young woman in the lake."

Merlin was as white as chalk but still looked indignant. "You followed me!"

Gwen threw all of the Knights a look, but only Elyan and Lancelot shifted under her glare. Gaius, however, was having a completely silent conversation with Merlin, who was sitting gingerly on the edge of his seat, looking ready to bolt.

"Yes." Arthur was completely unrepentant.

"W-what..." Merlin spluttered. He obviously didn't expect Arthur to admit to, well, _stalking_ his manservant.

"Would you mind explaining what the bloody hell the pair of you were on about yesterday?"

"Yes?" Merlin's hesitant answer was phrased as a question again.

"Tough."

Merlin shifted again, before coughing nervously and rising out of his seat. He started to edge towards the door. "Merlin, sit back down." It was Lancelot this time. Merlin threw him a small betrayed look that softened slightly when Lancelot leant forwards and whispered something in his ear.

"What do you want to start with? The girl, the magic or the dragon?"

There was a tense silence in which everyone looked intensely at either Merlin or Arthur, with the exception of Gwen who just looked very confused.

Gwaine decided to be helpful. "We followed Merlin yesterday and found him talking to his dead girlfriend in a lake about magic, dragons and some sort of camp. I'm guessing a druid camp," Gwaine told her.

Gwen choked.

Merlin slumped back into his seat covering his face with his hands.

"Sire, maybe you should ask questions rather than just get Merlin to tell you?" Gaius said, trying to hide his nervousness.

Arthur couldn't decide whether that was a good idea. What if he didn't know he was missing something?

Merlin seemed to see his struggle. "How about you ask questions and then I give you a quick run through at the end?"

That seemed alright. And Arthur doubted _Gaius_ would out-right lie to him.

"First things first, are you _actually_ a sorcerer?"

"I use magic. But I'm not a sorcerer."

"Huh?" Was the general consensus.

"I'm a warlock."

Leon, looking puzzled, asked, "What, exactly, is a warlock?" As far as he knew all magic users were the same – or at least called the same thing (but he _did_ live in Camelot. What would he know about sorcery?)

"A warlock is a term for a male _born_ with magic. The female counter-part is a witch." It was odd to hear Merlin use such as matter of-fact tone concerning magic. He sounded like Gaius when he was giving a lecture on herbs and their properties. "Morgana is a witch."

He'd come back to that later.

"Who was that woman in the lake?" Elyan asked that. Arthur thought it was obvious.

"Freya. A girl I used to know."

"And she's dead?"

Merlin nodded tightly, avoiding eye contact.

Arthur said softly, "And I killed her."

Another nod.

Gwen looked furiously at her boyfriend. Was he her boyfriend? They'd never really discussed it – they couldn't exactly make it official that the Crown Prince was courting a serving girl, could they? Cursing his attention span, he tuned back into the conversation, which actually had paused, everyone watching his expression, nervously or otherwise.

Despite the fact that Merlin was a lying sorcerer, he didn't deserve to lose someone like that. "I'm sorry."

Merlin sniffed slightly, his face still turned away. "It wasn't your fault."

Even Arthur couldn't believe that.

Lancelot put a comforting arm around Merlin before speaking. "What happened?"

"She was a sorceress. A while ago she was attacked by a man and k-killed him accidentally in self-defence. His mother t-then cursed her to k-kill forevermore. She turned into a B-bastet at night and couldn't h-h-help herself." Merlin was in tears by the end.

Leon gave a soft gasp. "And when she was captured and brought to Camelot she escaped."

Merlin nodded through his tears. "I freed her. I hid her. We were going to run, to leave."

Lancelot couldn't believe that anything would persuade Merlin to leave Arthur. Merlin continued, "The night before we were going to leave I went to see her. She'd already g-gone. She thought my life here was too good to give up for her. The Knights started h-hunting. And Arthur s-s-stabbed her. When she turned back the wound was f-fa-fatal."

Gwen put a hand over her mouth, eyes shining.

"I took her to the Lake of Avalon because it was the kind of place we'd d-dreamed of living. She _died_ in my arms and I put her on a boat in the lake and burnt it." He dissolved back into tears, Lancelot rubbing his back gently.

After a long few minutes, Merlin hiccupped and turned back to Arthur, a pleading look in his eyes. Arthur took that as an invitation to continue the questioning. "And the dragon?"

Merlin tensed slightly, avoiding all of their eyes – even Gaius'. "I'm a dragonlord. The last dragonlord."

"If you're a dragonlord why didn't you call off the dragon straight away?"

"Kilgharrah. The dragon's called Kilgharrah."

Arthur didn't really care. "The dragonlord – Balinor – might not've died if you'd stopped the dragon before. And more of Camelot's people would've lived." His temper was rising at the mere thought.

Gwaine threw him a sharp look as Merlin stiffened to a statue. "Even I know the reason for that, Princess. It's a well known fact that a dragonlord's powers are passed from father to son only in _death_." The last bit was said quietly but could still be heard due to the deathly silence in the room.

Arthur's jaw dropped.

"He was your father?"

Merlin nodded edgily.

"He died for you."

The room was as quiet as the grave. No one so much as breathed. After a few still seconds, Gwen threw Arthur another death glare for his insensitivity.

"It was my fault," Merlin whispered.

Leon, who hadn't been there but had heard about the incident from Arthur at a later date (when there wasn't a dragon attacking the castle), put a comforting hand on Merlin's shoulder, despite the shock of the revelation, threw Arthur a slight look, and said, "No it wasn't."

"He wouldn't have died if it wasn't for me."

"It _wasn't_ your fault."

"Yes it was," Merlin sobbed. "I freed him. It was my fault."

All of them froze at that, Arthur, Gwen and Leon remembering the carnage the dragon (Kilgharrah) had caused. And _Merlin_ had freed him.

"Why on _Earth_ did you do that?"

"He gave me the information I needed to save Camelot from Morgause and her immortal army. He refused to give it to me unless I swore to free him. I'd been making empty promises for so long that he refused to give me the information until I swore on my mother's life."

Arthur was still angry but he could understand. Gwen could see the remaining anger though and said, "It wasn't like you knew what it was going to do though?"

Merlin nodded very slightly. "I saw it in the Crystal of Neahtid. It showed me the future. But I really needed the information Kilgharrah told me to stop Morgause. I didn't have a choice."

And his temper started to rise again. "And what, exactly, did he tell you, _Mer_lin."

"I needed to find the source of the enchantment and destroy it."

"You told me that. What was the source of the enchantment?"

Merlin turned to face the window and didn't answer.

"_Mer_lin!"

Gaius intervened, "It was Morgana, sire."

Morgana? Had she turned against them already, even back then?

"Morgana?" Gwen gasped.

Merlin inclined his head, still turned away from all of them.

"What did you do?" Gwaine sounded sympathetic.

"Poisoned her." The words were barely audible, easily mistaken for a whisper of wind, had it not been for the unnatural stillness in the chamber. "I did what I had to."

"Poison?" Arthur shouted.

"The spell that made her the source could only be cast with her consent. It was Morgana or Camelot. I chose Camelot."

And putting it like that even Arthur couldn't argue. All of them had had to make choices between someone and Camelot and it never got easier but the choice was fundamentally always the same. He almost pitied Merlin for his struggle. He hadn't been able to tell anyone about Morgana for fear of his life and he clearly hated himself for his decision. Gwen, seeing the same thing as the Prince, walked up to Merlin (who still hadn't faced them) and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair and trying to hide his shoulders trembling.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – it might be a while before chapter 5 because I'm back at school and I have hundreds of other days xx Reviews are good motivation though (hint hint) xx This is mostly a filler chapter and a look into Arthur's thoughts xx Please read and review x**

After a few moments even Arthur could tell that Merlin was visibly exhausted by the recent revelations and decided that they'd had enough for the day. One more day couldn't hurt anyone after all and Arthur himself needed time to process the secrets that had been revealed.

He did not envy Merlin at all.

After another few minutes Arthur led the Knights out of the door accompanied by Gwen who had relinquished her grip on Merlin; leaving Merlin and Gaius alone in the meeting room.

"We'll talk more tomorrow. I think everyone's had enough for today." All of the Knights nodded in agreement, still wearing stunned or exhausted looks.

"If tomorrow's like today I think I'm going to need to bring more ale!"

Gwaine was being even more helpful than usual.

oOo

Half an hour later both Arthur and Gwen were snuggled up in Arthur's private chambers, Arthur having given orders not to be disturbed. He wanted the chance to talk to Guinevere about Merlin and his magic without being interrupted by some busybody noble who would promptly get Merlin arrested and executed. Arthur might not be sure what he was doing with his manservant yet, but execution was not on the table; banishment however...

(Sadly he didn't think he could punish sorcery with a stay in the stocks. That would make this a whole lot easier.)

No, he didn't know what he was going to do with Merlin yet. He needed to hear the rest of the story first. And he wasn't liking it so far.

He only hoped it improved. It probably wouldn't.

(But with _Merlin_ no one could ever really tell.)

Merlin liked nothing better than to be unpredictable. Arthur didn't always agree with the sentiments.

"Do you know what you're going to do yet?" Guinevere asked, unknowingly echoing Arthur's thoughts. She always did that. Sometimes it was a bit unnerving. Right now though, he was grateful. He didn't know how to put his thoughts into words.

"I'm not going to turn him into my father. I know for definite. He won't be executed."

Gwen simply gave him a knowing look, knowing what he was going to say and knowing he needed to say it. "I don't know _what_ to do. I don't know how I should feel about this. He was my friend – he's still my friend. But he's got magic and he's been hiding it from me. I know _why_ he kept it from me, I'm not an idiot like he is, but I just wish he could've trusted me."

His girlfriend (?) – they really needed to discuss that – squeezed his arm gently and snuggled further into his side. "He does trust you. I just think he didn't want to compromise your loyalty to your father."

"Even so, he has _magic_. It doesn't seem like he's meant to do bad things with it – not intentionally – but bad things have happened. Terrible things. Do I blame Merlin? Or do I blame magic? Because if I blame magic then it's just as evil and terrible as I thought and if I blame Merlin then he's not the man I thought he was. I don't envy his decisions though."

Guinevere threw him a soft look and said, "It wasn't Merlin's fault. He was forced into those situations due to other people and did the best he could with minimal damage. He did as much as he could. And as for the magic, we've already heard a few examples of how magic has been used to save your life. And we at least owe it to Merlin to hear him out. And we owe him far more than we'd thought."

There was no way Arthur could disagree with that. And he wasn't even sure if he wanted to.

They sat in silence for the next hour, cuddled up together. It was almost as if Arthur could pass on his feelings if he held her tightly enough.

oOo

Later that evening, when Guinevere had left, Merlin came up to bring Arthur his dinner.

"Arthur... I..."

"Merlin, I can't do this right now," Arthur said wearily.

There was a crestfallen look on his face before he bowed and turned to leave.

"Don't come back. Not tonight." Merlin nodded slightly, still facing the door and left, hands trembling. He didn't know if he'd live to see the end of tomorrow.

Arthur slumped back on his bed, leaving his dinner untouched. Many things were currently on his mind, but food wasn't one of them. Not tonight – despite what Merlin said, he wasn't _fat_.

Tonight so many thoughts were swirling around his head he could hardly separate them, let alone make sense of them. Merlin was a sorcerer – warlock. Merlin used magic. Magic was evil. Magic wasn't evil. He'd killed Merlin's girlfriend. Merlin was a _dragonlord_ (that he hadn't expected, of all things). Balinor had been his father (but did that just make so much sense?) Merlin had _freed _the Great Dragon – Kilgharrah, as Merlin repeatedly reminded him.

Merlin had poisoned Morgana.

Even back then Morgana had been an enemy. She'd plotted against them – him – for so long. He tried to pretend that it didn't hurt.

All of these thoughts and feelings whirled faster and faster inside his brain, until he thought he would explode from the force of it. He slowly got changed for bed, uninterrupted as he'd asked, and collapsed under the covers.

He didn't expect to get much sleep.

But he fell into a deep slumber within seconds.

oOo

It was still dark out when Arthur awoke. He'd fallen asleep far earlier than he usually liked or was even able too. These days it seemed like he was single-handedly running Camelot – his father was having trouble looking after himself, never mind a kingdom.

So for now, Arthur was in charge.

He'd never realised how much paperwork his father had to get through.

He decided to do that first. If one of the Lords asked why they hadn't received a form for something or a request for something else Arthur couldn't exactly tell them he was busy sorting out what he was going to do with his manservant who was secretly a sorcerer (warlock). That wouldn't exactly go down well. They'd probably accuse him of being enchanted, as mad as his father or attempt to arrest Merlin. And given what he'd heard, he didn't know which it would hurt more. Merlin or his guards?

It took him almost two hours to complete his paperwork, by which time the sun was up. And it was half of what he had to deal with on a normal day.

He rather dreaded becoming King. Then he had to actually do _all_ of the paperwork.

No wonder most Kings didn't live past thirty five. They probably all dropped of exhaustion.

Once he'd finished his paperwork, Arthur sat back on his bed, fully dressed. He probably had another hour until Merlin came in, quarter of an hour if he sent George to do it instead. Right now, Arthur couldn't decide which of the two he wanted to show up.

Which ever of the pair would cause him less of a headache. And bring him more sausages.

George it was then.

And as chance would have it, twenty minutes later (damn he was getting worse at this) George knocked on the door politely and entered at Arthur's order. (None of which Merlin did. Even if Arthur wouldn't actually be up at this time on a normal day.)

It only took ten minutes to eat his breakfast (with twice as many sausages as Merlin gave him. With the day he was having (and going to have) he _needed_ them. And it was only 8:30.)

Having George in the room gave him the silence he needed to think and the inability to say something damning aloud. Perhaps it hadn't been a good thing for Merlin to have skipped out on his chores this morning.

By 9 o'clock, Arthur was sufficiently bored enough to decide that yesterdays conversation needed to continue. He also realised that in the last two hours he'd done an awful lot of thinking and promptly gotten nowhere. See, _this_ was why he didn't like thinking. (_No_, Merlin it wasn't because he didn't have a brain.)

Within twenty minutes he'd found all of the Knights and sent them to fetch the same people as they had the day before; this time sending Lancelot along with Percival. He needed a bit more time to himself. Today it only took ten minutes for the group to be gathered in Arthur's meeting room, Gwaine armed with even more ale than he had been before.

Once everyone had sat, they all turned to Merlin who seemed simultaneously tense and relaxed. Arthur could guess the reason for the tension but the reason for Merlin to be so relaxed eluded him. He put his elbows on the table and leaned forwards, leaning his face onto his hands. "So, Merlin, shall we start from the beginning?"


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur asked Merlin to start from the beginning. And from the beginning he did.

The sorcerer (warlock) told a story of a small infant child, barely days old, with eyes that flashed gold and crying that would shake the house. A toddler that almost never learnt to walk because he could simply summon what he wanted to himself – including people. A child that had to hide his power and was resentful of it. A mother who lived in fear and hope alike.

Arthur discovered a newfound appreciation of Hunith.

So did everyone else (even those that had never met her).

Merlin must have been a _nightmare_ to raise, never mind keep a secret.

"What on Earth possessed you to come to Camelot?"

"My mother realised how hard it was keeping a secret like that in such a small village despite the level of secrecy we were keeping."

That received a raised eyebrow. "Merlin, you dropped a tree on someone's head. How is that being discrete?"

Merlin's cheeks reddened slightly and he looked away.

"I was trying to be." With the air of someone desperately wishing this conversation to be over, he continued, "I walk through the gates of Camelot to an execution."

They all winced. "What was it for?"

"Thomas Collins, executed for using magic."

Another collective wince.

"Not the best thing to see as you enter Camelot is it?"

"You never actually said why your mother sent you _here_," Gwen said curiously.

"She knew I was going to be discovered. I was sent to _Camelot_ because Gaius is here and she thought maybe he could help me."

"It was more the other way around," Gaius said dryly.

"What do you mean?" Lancelot asked, having not yet heard this story.

Merlin continued, "So I'm just into Camelot and looking for Gaius the Court Physician. Eventually I found my way to his rooms but when I got there Gaius fell off the balcony looking for a book. What were you looking for anyway?"

Gaius replied with, "A book on the medicinal properties of toadstools."

"What happened?" Gwaine interrupted impatiently, practically bouncing in his chair.

"I slowed time and then moved the bed to catch him."

"You slowed _time_."

"Uh-huh."

"_You_ can slow time."

"Uh-huh."

Most of them were wearing puzzled looks. Arthur looked completely gobsmacked, mouth gaping wide open. Merlin – clumsy, fragile Merlin – could slow time. Gwaine just laughed. "Princess, shut your mouth. I don't fancy the continuous view of your tonsils."

Arthur swung to face him. "Do you actually know what tonsils are?"

"Do you?"

Gwen intervened, "Boys, please can we let Merlin finish his story."

Right, Merlin. Who was telling a story about being a sorcerer and currently laughing about it. "Finish the story Gwen? I haven't even started it yet."

oOo

Over the next hour, Arthur, Guinevere and the Knights, learnt things about Merlin they thought impossible.

Merlin had saved their lives more times than they could possibly imagine. It had started only days after they'd met - with Lady Helen and the chandelier. Then it got ridiculous. Knight Valiant, evil physicians, beautiful women - who were actually evil soul-draining _fairies_, uncles that were actually wraiths and were desperate for vengeance from beyond the grave. Wasn't Arthur ever told the truth about his family? The druid boy, Mordred, a tale which Merlin attempted to skip over. Arthur would have to ask more later - there was something odd about Merlin's complete aversion to the tale. Then there was Will, unicorns and Questing Beast's. By this time none of them were surprised that Merlin had tried to give his life for Arthur. They were, however, surprised by the death of Nimueh and her disintegration. That wasn't something he'd ever thought Merlin capable of - but Arthur had already been proven wrong by the earlier revelations. It seemed that Merlin was willing to do almost anything to secure the safety of his friends and Camelot.

That thought alone almost made the fact that he wouldn't permanently injure Merlin a fact.

There was also bandits and other random, smaller scale attacks, sorcerers and magical beasts. Tauren's attempt to kill the King with the aid of Morgana - one who was evidently willing to kill Uther, even then. And that was just the _first_ year.

He didn't even want to know exactly how much he'd owe Merlin when this was all explained.

oOo

Next, it was the escaped soul of Cornelius Sigan and his gargoyles. The Cornelius Sigan feared by many children in Camelot - he'd been used as a threat to get children to behave, back before the Purge had started. After then, mentioning the name Sigan was likely to get you and your family executed.

Then it was the foiled assassin. Gwaine had found Arthur's disguise hilarious and commended his imagination. After that it Morgana's discovery of her own magic and its implications. Arthur had slaughtered the druids he'd found in that camp believing they had kidnapped his (half)sister. He winced when he found out she'd gone to them willingly - because she was scared. Arthur could count the number of times Morgana had admitted to being scared on one hand. Lancelot and Gwen's capture followed that story. Lancelot took the opportunity to interject helpful anecdotes when appropriate.

Gwaine was in hysterics for most of the next story. Lady Catrina the troll and her short-lived marriage to King Uther. The story was undoubtedly funny, even for Arthur, who laughed; despite his father currently being in a state of self-imposed catatonia. At the descriptions of her antics, everyone but Gaius and Gwen looked amused. Gaius seemed indifferent, Gwen disgusted. The Witch Finder shocked everyone, particularly Gwen who hadn't heard of the brutality the Witch Hunter had used in his interrogations, despite Morgana having been subjected to one. Gwaine found the frog in the throat hilarious, and even Arthur couldn't be upset at Merlin's use of magic to rid Camelot of a man as despicable as Aredian.

Freya was mentioned briefly, and then Lady Vivian, a tale that made Arthur turn red and Gwaine to crow triumphantly. Even Guinevere smirked at his misfortune. Arthur couldn't decide whether he'd wanted her to be upset or not (or jealous), but ultimately resolved that whilst she wasn't crying, this entire conversation could've gone a lot worse. Oh, wait a second, were those tears in her eyes.

Oh, they were tears of laughter. Arthur pouted.

Then came Morgana's theft of the crystal of Neahtid and then the sleeping spell. Having already heard the choice Merlin had been forced to make, Arthur wasn't truly angry.

To be quite honest, he was more angry with Morgana for betraying them, for the lives she had taken whilst she reigned as Queen. He didn't know if he was glad to hear how well she'd been treated whilst she'd been with Morgause. It had turned her against them.

Then it was the release of the dragon - Kilgharrah - and Balinor's death. None of them dwelled for long on that. That was the end of his second year.

The third year was quiet, Merlin said. Nimueh was dead and Morgause was too busy corrupting Morgana to cause Camelot any trouble. It was only really minor sorcerers, a couple of assassins and few magical creatures. Maybe a bandit or two. Merlin managed this in a remarkably unaffected tone.

Arthur tried not to go into shock.

oOo

It was later into the afternoon by the time Merlin started his fourth year - and between them, they'd drunk all of the ale. Well, mainly Gwaine had. He wanted to go out for some more, but Arthur refused to let the drunken knight leave - lest he tell the entire castle loudly what they were discussing.

Morgana's treachery was difficult to hear. She had been his sister figure for so long (and ultimately his actual sister) that to hear her attempts to kill his (their) father hurt him immensely. The first tale was of the mandrake and the first immortal army (that Morgana had evidently _not_ defeated) and his father's decreasing mental state. Arthur was glad to hear that - that time at least - Uther's poor mental health was the fault of another. Guinevere was holding tightly to his arm, hearing how her once best friend and mistress had sunk so low. The fact that Merlin had defeated this immortal army no longer surprised any of them.

The goblin lightened the mood. They were all solemn and sad, having heard a large number of horrible tales and Merlin's life revealed to them. It was nice for a lighter mood.

(Even if it did come at Gaius' expense.)

After that was Gwaine's introduction. Gwaine surprised no one by subsequently stealing the spotlight and spending the next five minutes telling at dramatic and entirely untruthful rendition of the bar fight that Merlin promptly corrected, despite Gwaine's drunken complaints. Gwaine then proceeded to announce that he'd always suspected Merlin of magic, and just hadn't told anyone before. None of them were quite sure if he was being truthful.

(The quest to the Perilous Lands though was an indication that perhaps Gwaine was telling the truth. The man of the bridge had spoken of Strength, Courage and Magic, immediately followed by Gwaine, Arthur and Merlin. It wasn't _that_ hard to figure out. (Here Arthur promptly blushed and avoided all of their eyes.) )

Following that was Morgana's next attempt to kill the King. Only this time Merlin had already seen it. Okay, so Merlin could cast magic, command dragons and see the future. What next?

Arthur wanted to be angry that Merlin had knocked Morgana down the stairs but he couldn't be. He already knew that Merlin hadn't meant to do it, and he knew what it had cost him. By the sounds of it, he'd also had to do a lot of grovelling to Kilgharrah.

Elena had been a _Sidhe_. That almost seemed impossible - Arthur remembered the scatter-brained blonde girl fondly, feelings he had not usually associated with sorcery of any kind - up until recent events. She still seemed far too nice a girl though to be considering murdering him - as Arthur had come to realise most of Merlin's stories involved. Then Merlin continued explaining - it hadn't been the Sidhe's intention to murder him. Yet. Arthur was glad she had been freed in the end - it explained her bizarre change in attitude upon her departure. He had thought she was acting offended at his refusal to marry her.

After that was the explosion at the castle of Fyrien and then the journey to the Perilous lands. Leon threw Arthur at slight look when he found out that Merlin and Gwaine had accompanied him on his trip, only relenting when he found out Morgana's interference.

Leon also didn't quite believe that the Fisher King was still alive, never mind that the entire quest had been a challenge for Merlin - to get Merlin to kill him. To be fair, living in Camelot meant telling these kinds of stories made it likely you'd be killed within the next week.

Gaius and Alice was next, Merlin trying to brush quickly over the details and move on as fast as he could. Even though they were curious, none of them had the heart to interrogate the visibly stricken Gaius. They could ask Merlin later - when Gaius was out of earshot. When the details of her escape were revealed, even Arthur couldn't fault Gaius, not with the understanding tone of voice Merlin used to tell this tale; reminding them all that Freya had not strayed from Merlin's thoughts at all.

Then it was Uther's discovery of Arthur and Gwen's relationship and her subsequent imprisonment for witchcraft and Merlin's increasingly obscure disguises. All of them laughed at Merlin's choice of a name, even a wary Elyan, who had not taken his eyes of Guinevere since he had found out about her imprisonment (again). All of them were distressed by Merlin's attempted execution - even if it hadn't actually been_ Merlin_ they were attempting to kill.

Arthur was beginning to realise how many times Merlin had been in the 'tavern'.

Then came the tournament, with Gilli and Merlin's struggle between his kin and what he believed was right.

Lancelot helped with the last tale; Morgana's attempt to take over Camelot and Merlin's part in it. Where did you go these days to find a weapon that could kill the dead?

And then Arthur remembered the sword Excalibur. And where Merlin had put it.

He had seen Freya again. And that was when Merlin had realised that even death couldn't separate them. When they'd taken back Camelot the first thing Merlin had done was go to the Lake of Avalon. He'd gone back every day for three more weeks until he'd managed to raise Freya again. He couldn't free her from her watery prison, nor raise her whenever, but there was some sort of regularity to her ability to speak with him.

Arthur couldn't really understand what that regularity was - something to do with the moon phases and water levels.

And then Merlin explained the bit Arthur had known the least about. Even Gaius and Lancelot hadn't known about this - and Gaius wasn't best pleased that Merlin had hidden it from him.

It seemed that Freya had heard tales when she'd first been made the Lake's Guardian. When she'd shared these stories with an utterly bewildered Merlin, he had decided to visit the nearest druid camp in search of answers. When he'd arrived he been stunned to find the druids bowing down to him and calling him Lord Emrys. That day he'd only stayed a short while but he'd visited, practically daily, until he'd gotten all of the information out of the camp. Once he'd done that, and accepted his destiny (it was all very well he was going to protect Arthur, but what was he going to do _after_ that); he'd began training the children as well as being trained himself by some of the elders.

He wasn't the legendary Emrys _yet_.

Arthur gaped in his chair. He needed drink - maybe some decent ale or a tankard of hearty mead. Who knows - maybe he'd forget the entirety of the day and not have to deal with it ever again. Sadly he thought consuming that much ale might kill him - even if Gwaine would regularly have a good attempt (admittedly for different reasons).

None of the Knights were that much better - except perhaps Lancelot, who'd heard the majority of this previously. They all of course knew that perhaps there were tales Merlin had forgotten or not mentioned or not gone into enough detail but none of them felt ready the handle any more tonight. Gwaine desperately wanted the visit the tavern. So, in very Gwaine-like fashion, he did what he wanted. With a clap to Merlin's back and a wink at Gwen, he left to get outrageously drunk. Elyan and Leon decided to join him.

Next, Lancelot and Percival excused themselves - possibly to train or do something girly, like talk about their _feelings_ or something like that. Neither would take long to get over today's revelations - one knew most of it already, the other barely seemed fazed by anything.

Gaius departed hurriedly, an excuse about remedies and herbs on his lips as he rounded the corner and even Gwen left, squeezing his arm gently and bestowing a gentle smile upon Merlin, who visibly relaxed at the gesture. Then she too left.

Arthur and Merlin sat in complete silence for another five or so minutes - Arthur processing, Merlin trembling.

"So you've only ever used your magic for good - or tried to?"

"Arthur, I would never willingly and knowingly harm another citizen of Camelot, as long as they are not a traitor."

After a long pause Arthur said, "So I've had 'the most powerful warlock to ever walk this Earth' mucking out my stables."

"Yep." They exchanged a glance and both burst into hysterical laughter.

Everything thing was going to be fine.

But he still needed a drink. Maybe he'd join Gwaine in a minute.

**I think this is the end of this story - unless you think I've missed anything and need to put an epilogue in. I would've posted this before (I've had the majority of this written within a week of posting the last chapter) but I was away during half term and couldn't complete it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I decided to do any actual epilogue for this - I think it's my first one xx This is the end of this story - I promise (I think) x Please read and review**

***Epilogue***

Arthur went and had that drink. And then several others. And then maybe one more The next day, even before he'd sobered up, Merlin had stalked in giving Arthur (in his hung-over state) a further headache and widely opened the curtains, shouting ridiculous things and bringing him breakfast. Like normal.

Arthur had calmly asked him what the hell he'd thought he was doing. After all, firstly, Merlin was magic (sorcerer, warlock, either of the above) and that meant he was supposed to be arrested and executed, not serving the Prince breakfast. Secondly, after everything that Merlin had done for them, Arthur didn't think he could stand the sight of Merlin scrubbing his floor.

Of course, he wasn't King yet, but he would be, and when he was the laws would change.

Merlin would never have to hide again.

But until then, he had to pretend to be nothing more than an ignorant servant, an idea which grated on Arthur's nerves and he wasn't even the one doing the acting. At least now Merlin would be able to do some of his chores with magic - not that Arthur would let the lazy idiot get away with it.

But they were equals now, on equal footing, and Arthur wished there was some way he could show it. Merlin didn't deserve the treatment he got for being a servant, never mind the hatred towards sorcerers.

He couldn't do anything big - that would attract attention and a Prince doing things for a servant would be very bad attention. But he wanted, _needed_, to do something.

Wait a minute.

He knew what he could do.

It was so simple, so effortless, so unnoticeable, and yet, at the same time, summed up their friendship. He could buy Merlin a new neckerchief.

There. That was a good idea.

He briefly considered double checking with Guinevere, but ultimately decided against it. This was _his_ idea. He was really rather proud of it.

He finished off getting dressed, an oblivious Merlin jabbering in his ear like normal, this time with the occasional flash of gold from his eyes, and started down to the lower town the buy the neckerchief. It didn't seem right to get a runner to do it.

On the way down he caught Percival and realised he hadn't asked how Percival had known about Emrys (Merlin). He decided to ask there, and with his answer realised that he didn't know much about the lives of his common-born Knights. He knew about he nobles - like Leon. He had ben brought up with them, seen them at Court, their fathers vying for the King's attention. But of his commoner Knights he knew next to nothing.

Gwaine was actually not common-born at all. Percival had been brought up next to a Druid camp. Was Lancelot secretly half fairy?

He really needed to investigate those sorts of things - it could be quite embarrassing for him at a later date.

But not now. Later, he'd interrogate all of his knights and chart their entire lives for the records. He would know all their secrets, know them as well as he knew himself. But not right _now_. Right now he had a neckerchief to buy.

The vendor looked only slightly confused as to why the Crown Prince and, effectively (with the state Uther was presently in) King, was wandering in the Lower Town looking for clothing items, rather than having them custom made, but handed over the required article anyway. It was expensive, but good quality and hard wearing - which it would need to be if Merlin wore this half even half as much as his current one. Arthur didn't really mind spending the money, not even on his servant - not after everything Merlin had done for both Arthur and Camelot.

And when, later that day, Arthur presented an unsuspecting Merlin with the new neckerchief he'd never seen Merlin smile so widely, and he knew that as soon as he was King he would change the laws and everything would be alright. At _last.  
><em>  
>Merlin would be free and never have to look over his shoulder to see who was watching him ever again.<p>

(Not that he did. This entire revelation had only come about because he didn't.)

***The End***


End file.
